Mechanical ladder



1,637,197 July .26, 1927. v H. "was IEOHANICAL LADDER Filed Junefzs. 1925 .2 Shunt-Shut 2- 16' firwann Jim @50 dilornqy Patented July 26, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMANN MATTES, OF ULM-ON-THE-DONAU, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO C. D. MAGIRUS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OF ULM-QN-THE-DONAU, GERMANY, A CORPORATION OF GERMANY.

Application filed June 29, 1925, Serial No.

This invention relates to mechanical lad ders and more especially to a device for tilting a mechanical ladder about a pivot pin. disposed at right angles to the plane ofthe ladder, and the invention consists chiefly in. the arrangement of a communicating pipe system, the liquid of which flows in the direction of inclination when the ladder is on sloping ground and thereby throws a gear in or out so that the ladder is automatically brought to the upright position.

A construction according to the invention is diagrammatically illustrated in the accom panyin'g drawings in which,

Figure 1 shows the ladder on sloping ground,

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, ofan embodiment of the invention,

Figure 3 is a plan of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the tilting mechanism,

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Figure 4, and

the

' Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the mechanism of the pressure cylinder.

The drawings illustrate a fire ladder of any suitable type, adapted to be erected by bein rotatedabout a horizontal axis 41 in nown manner. If the ladder truck stands on sloping ground, the ladder, upon being erected, will assume a laterally inclined position as shown at a in Fig. 1. In order to bring it into the upright position b shown in Fig. 1, it must be rotated in its own plane about a pivot pin 3 perpendi cular to said plane. In the present invention, this is accomplished by rotating a threaded shaft 22, bearing a nut 29 having a shank which engages the ladder to rotate it in the proper direction.

As seen in Fig. 4, shaft 22 1s ournaled,

at 27 and 28, in frame members 23, and is threaded to receive a nut 29, having a shank 32 which passesthrough an a erture in plate 31. Plate 31 is secured to tie longitudinal members of ladder 30. Bevel gears 16 are 'splined to shaft 22. Shift lever 15 has a forked end 39 which engages an annular groove 38 in the collar 42 of gears 16. Lever 15 is pivoted at37 to bracket 33, in which shaft 26 is journaled, and at its other end is connected bylink 14 and bell crank 13 to rod'12.

Theshaft- 22 is providedwith hand wheels MECHANICAL LADDER.

equalized through the pipe 2.

40,205, and in Germany February 2, 1925.

Gears 16 areinoved on the shaft 22 to the 7 right or to the left by means of a pressure cylinder 8 having apiston 11 connected by means of rod 12,bell crank 13, andlink 14 to the shift lever 15. Cylinder 8 is provided with a sleeve valve 9 which admits liquid under pressure through a suppl pipe 19 toeither face of the piston and disc arges it through a discharge pipe 20. The details of the valve 9 are best shown in Fig. 6, in which it is seen that the flow otliquid through supply pipe 19 and valve 9 is directed to either face of'piston 11 by the rotation of the valve by means of an arm 35, keyed thereto. When the valve is in the position shown in Fig.= 6, liquid flows into the rear end o1 thecylinder, urging the piston forward, whil'ethe liquid inthe forward end of the cylinder passes out via exhaust port 34 to the clischarge pipe 20. Valve 9 is automatically controlled by means of a rod 10 and lever 4 pivoted at its center to pin 3, the ends of the lever being connected to the rods 6 of pistons 5. The two pis- 3 tons 5 travel in cylinders 1 which are in communication with each other through a pipe 2, the interiors of'the cylinders,to the rear of pistons 5, being filled with a heavy liquid such as mercury.

The tilting operation is as follows:

If the ladder is erected on sloping ground, the pistons 5 will move as the levels oi the liquid in the cylinders 1 tend" to become The pistons will thereby be moved in their cylinders, causing lever et to turn aboutits pivot 3,

wl 1ich, will'move rod 10 to open sleevevalve 9 to admit liquid under pressure to the piston 11. The latter will produce through the rod 12, bell crank 13, link 14 and lever 15 an engagement of one of the gears 16wvith the pinion 21, thereby rotating shaft 22.

Nut 29 will be moved along shaft 22, thereby rotating the ladder in its own plane about pivot pin 3 until pipe 2 reaches the horizontal position, whereupon the liquid will act on pistons 5 to move lever 4 into the horizontal position and thereby turn valve 9 to its neutralposition. This allows pinion 21 to disengage from bevel gears 16 and the ladder ceases to rotate. If the plane'of the ladderis'a vertical plane, the result of the smegma-ration just desc'ribed-isto movethe ladder to a truly vertical position, but if the plane of the ladder is an inchned plane, the ,result is merely to mo e the ladder until its projection on a vertical plane passed throughthelower end of its longitudinalmembrs is vertical. 11 either case,

each wing of the ladder will be horizontal and theposition got the ladder as a Whole may be spoken of as \Fupright as distinguished fro 1n, cleanly inclin'edi; Also, I usethe term plane of the ladder? to designate agplane passinv througli the axes of the lon itudinal members of the-ladder,

In order to prevent the nut 29 from striking the -bearings27 and 28, there is provida 1.;11'1 fa mechanieal ladder, a

ed a rod l7 pivoted atone end to link which i tturn is pivotedto the fixed frame of the; truclgancl piyotedat itsother end to ai'ni 36, which is fixed, to 1 arm 35 5 and t0 valve 9, A stop pin 18h; mounted achacent each end of rod 17 in such position that 1t will be. engaged by the longitudinal members. of the ladder before nut 29 engages bearingfl'for 28. y, The engagement of stop pin 18 movesro'dl lf longitudinally, thus rturning a1'm36 and valve 9 to eutral position:topreventfurther rotation of the ladder about pin 3.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention and in what manner the sameis to be performed, I declare that whatl claim is a j frame,a laddeltglpivotally mounted thereon, a threaded shaft; journaledqin said frame a pair of gears: on said shaft, l a pinion y, adapted to selectively engage Stud gears, anut mounted on saidshaft, a11d:engagingsaid ladder. and

means actuated by movement of the ladder for automatically, disengaging the pinionfromrthewgears whenthe nut has reached a predetermined positlon oni said a shaft.

; 2.1114 mechanical ladder, a frame, a ladafroinmthe Said piHiOiII,

ft to disengage the gears 3. 111a mechan cal ladder, same, a

der ipivota lly, mounted thereon, a threaded shaft: journaled in; said frame, a pair of,

gears splined "to saidshaft, av pinion adapted .1 to engagesaid gears,--a nut mounted on said shaft and having operative engagement with tween-the control and the pinion.

the ladder has moved through a predetermined angular frame.

distance relative to said 4. lnhunechanical ladder, a supporting frame, a ladderpivotally mounted thereon, driving mechanism fourotat'ing said ladder 7 about said pivot, and a control for said driving mechanism, said control comprising a pair of Tinterconiniunicating cylinders mount ed on the ladder, pistons in said cylinders, a heavy liquid in said cylindersbelou the pistons a lever connected to said pistons,' and a mechanical connection between said lever andsaid driving mechanism. p

5. In device of the: class described, a supporting frame, ,aladder pivotally mounted thereon for rotatitiii in its awn Jlane,a shaft mounted in said frame and having a tliieaded'portioma n'ut iiio'unted on said threaded portion and engaging the ladder, bevel gears splined to saitl'shaft, a pinion having selective engagement with saidbevel gears, and means for controlling theyengagelneiit of the pinion with said gears, said means including a gravity actuated fluidconti'ol operated by lateral inclination of, the ladder, and-a connection be- (3. Iii a device 'ofihetclziss described, a supporting frame, a, ladder pivotall'y iiiouiited thei'eo'n for rotation in its f own plane, driving mechanism, for imparting such rotation to the ladder, and 'a gravity actuated] control mechanism operated lateralinclinatioii of the ladder, control mechanism comprising a fipair off intfen 1 communicating vessels, fluid iii. said vessels, 1 I

a movable member adapted to ljiactuated by sa d fllllfl, and, a mechanlca betiveenfsaid movable member and-said drlving mechanism; J v j 1 7. A dev'be true class described;

'prisinga supporting frame a ladder pivgib ally mounted thereon'forrotatlon in its own plane, driving mechanism forjirii'parting such rotation to the ladder; driving mechanism including a shiftable geiii'ingf'or reversing the direction "of such rotation, means, for: shiftingsaid g aring, and a control for said shifting; means, said bontrbl being operated by lateral inclination of the ladder and comprisip a pair of intercomniunicating vessels, liquid in said vessels, and a mechanical fconiichon between said liquid and said shifting'ineaiis whereby the pressure "or the-liquid "in s'aid vessels opei'at es"- :flto control shifting of saidege'iring.

8. A' devicefof the class described, winprising a pivotally mountedladder,]difiviiig mechanism for rotating said ladder about'its pivot, said mechanism .including shiftable gears, means for shifting said gears including a power-operated piston, and control means for said shifting means comprising a pair of intercommunicating liquid eontainers fixed to said ladder, movable members in said containers adapted to be actuated by the liquid in said containers, and a connection extending from said movable members to said shifting means. I

9, A device of the class described, comprising a support, a ladder pivoted to said support, driving mechanism for rotating said ladder about its pivot, said mechanism including gearing shiftable to reverse and neutral positions, means for shifting said gearing includmga cylinder a power-operated piston thereln operative to Sllllt said gearing, and control means for said piston comprising a liquid container fixed to said ladder, a movable member in said container adapted .to be actuated by the liquid in said container, and a connection between said movable member and said cylinder.

10. In combination, gearing shiftable to reverse and neutral positions, means for shifting said gearing, and control means for said shifting means comprising a pair of intercommunicating liquid containers inclinable to vary the liquid levels in said containers, movable members in said containers adapted to be actuated by the variations in said liquid levels, a pivoted member connected to said movable members, and a connection between said pivoted member and said shifting means.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HERMANN MATTES, 

